Hundreds of Crescent City Classic runners received tickets Saturday for parking their cars on the Marconi Drive neutral ground near City Park.

Many of the participants were appalled, and race organizers expressed frustration about the failure of their efforts to warn people against parking on neutral grounds.

"We are going to lose people because of this," race director Rick Lusky said. Many runners "were open about it. They said, 'We are not ever coming back because of the tickets.' It's sad."

City ticket writers left bright orange envelopes under the windshield wipers of nearly every vehicle on the stretch of neutral ground facing Tad Gormley Stadium. Inside were $75 citations, which become $200 citations if not paid within 60 days.

One man who received a ticket glanced at it and said, "This is a bunch of bull----."

A few feet away, a woman shouted, "New Orleans is so disgusting!"

Several runners said they will never take part in the race again, bringing back memories of last year's Turkey Day Race, when more than 600 runners were ticketed for parking in the same area.

Henry Poynot, 48, who owns a seafood market on Magazine Street, said he had parked on the neutral ground in the past and never had any problems. He did not understand why Saturday was different.

"I'm not paying this ticket," Poynot said. "If the city boots my truck, I'm just not taking it back. They can have it."

Vanessa Reese, a New Orleans woman, said police officers watched her park on the neutral ground and walk away from her car. They did not tell her she would be ticketed.

"I feel like the city did nothing to tip us off," she said.

Officials, however, said they did.

Public Works Director Robert Mendoza warned that parking control officers would enforce the neutral ground ban in a March 21 article published in The Times-Picayune. Violators would be ticketed or towed, he said.

The city sent out a news release Thursday evening warning drivers to "park smart" during special events this weekend.

Organizers also warned against parking on the neutral ground and in front of two-hour parking meters on the race's mail-in registration form, said Gary Gomez, the race's elite athlete coordinator.

Anticipating a parking space shortage, Lusky said, race organizers reached agreements with Delgado Community College to use campus lots and with City Park to open Marconi Meadows to vehicles. Parking was free at both locations, he said.

Lusky also listed streets where people could find legal on-street parking: Marconi Drive, City Park Avenue, Zachary Drive and the area around City Park's closed South Golf Course.

Still, hundreds of people apparently did not get the message and parked on the neutral ground. Some said they did so because "there was just no place to park," a common complaint about events held near City Park.

"I'm not sure what more we could have done," Lusky said. "We tried to get the word out, but some people didn't get it or chose to ignore it."

Rod Bailey, a 51-year-old runner from Morgan City, said he missed the warnings because he did not read newspapers or listen to the news as the classic neared. "I feel scammed," he said.

His wife, Skye, pointed to a "no parking" sign on the corner of Central Park Place and Marconi Drive. Its letters had completely faded, and black mold streaked its face.

"Look at that sign," she said. "It's unbelievable."

One ticketed runner sent an immediate e-mail message to Lusky: "Pay my ticket or I'm never coming back."

Lusky said race organizers will assess how many tickets were issued before deciding whether to pay them. He deplored the city's stance. "They are hurting the reputation and integrity of this event," he said.

Mendoza did not return phone calls seeking an estimate of how many tickets were issued Saturday.

However, at least one runner apparently outfoxed the ticket writers.

Southeastern Louisiana University student Tyler Detiege expected to be fined after leaving his car on Marconi Drive's neutral ground about 7:30 a.m. He had been cited for parking there before, and he had read the warnings.

But Detiege lifted his wipers from his windshield before making his way to the starting line. When he returned to his car three hours later, there was no citation on it.

"I wasn't sure it was going to work," he said shortly after finishing the 6.2-mile race. "But they did not touch my car."